Third year for record business establishments and high satisfaction among established companies

The numbers prove it: Hessen is extraordinarily attractive for foreign investors. Good traffic infrastructure coupled with one of the world's largest airports, an outstanding research environment, a qualified workforce, the central location in Germany and Europe, and vibrant internationality are excellent reasons for companies to choose Hessen as their business location.

In 2013, Hessen set the record with 119 newly established businesses and a record in 2014 with 144 projects. Now, Hessen is once again going down in the record books for the year 2015. In a press conference, Hessen's economics minister Tarek Al-Wazir announced that 156 international companies were established for the first time in Hessen last year or were responsible for expanding existing investments – more than ever before with an 8.3 percent increase. Relative to its size, Hessen is once again, compared to the other federal states, at the forefront.

Among the new establishments in 2015, 37 came from the U.S., 36 from the People's Republic of China, 15 from Great Britain and 9 from each Japan and Korea. This was followed by France, Switzerland and Turkey with 5 newly established companies each. Thus, the U.S. and China remain the most important countries of origin for direct foreign investment in Hessen. Taking the various sectors into consideration, the most important fields are information and communication technology, the service sector, and the financial industry.

"The record number of new international subsidiaries and expansion projects in 2015 is, apart from the outstanding location conditions, also the result of excellent collaboration between Hessian promoters at all levels," explains Dr. Rainer Waldschmidt, managing director of Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH.

These collaborations include foreign investment projects in Hessen which are determined once a year in cooperation with the regional and local business developments in the state.

Foreign investors are highly satisfied with Hessen's location

Commissioned by Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH, the TNS Emnid opinion research institute carried out a comprehensive investigation of the needs structure of 150 foreign investors that established themselves in Hessen before 2014. "Hessen scores high both in the 'hard' business aspects, such as the airport, infrastructure and central European location, as well as high on the quality of life and international scale“, explains Torsten Schneider-Haase, study director at TNS Emnid. An overwhelming 91 percent of those surveyed "strongly" preferred the state Hessen over other locations – this represents more than nine out of ten foreign companies established in Hessen. In addition, 95 percent of foreign investors have been extremely positive in the assessment of their companies' current economic situation and are taking a confident approach towards the future. The Hessian labor market is also expected to feel the positive effects resulting from this: 67 percent of the investors surveyed indicated their willingness to hire more German employees in the coming years.

Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH (HTAI) supports foreign companies that are settling in Hessen for the first time and those that would like to relocate or expand their operations. HTAI is the first point of contact for investors, informing them about taxation law, the right of residence and labor law; providing advice about funding opportunities and financing programs as well as drawing up tailor-made location offers in collaboration with national, regional and municipal business promoters. Moreover, HTAI organizes site tours, and provides support in approval procedures.